The Blue Shadows was a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
-nominated Canadian
alt-country
Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style f ...
band founded in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, and active between 1992 and 1996. They released two albums in Canada.
[Charlotte Dillon]
Biography of The Blue Shadows
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
History
The band was formed by
Billy Cowsill
William Joseph Cowsill Jr. (January 9, 1948 – February 18, 2006) was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead singer and guitarist of The Cowsills, who had three top-10 singles in the late 1960s. From the ...
and Elmar Spanier, who had been performing, with
Lindsay Mitchell
Lindsay Christopher Mitchell (born 28 May 1949) is an English-born Canadian musician and songwriter who achieved success as the guitarist and founder of the Canadian rock band Prism.
Early life
Born on May 28, 1949 in North London, England, Mit ...
of
Prism
Prism usually refers to:
* Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light
* Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron
Prism may also refer to:
Science and mathematics
* Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...
, as Billy Mitchell's Trainwreck. On July 5, 1985, they opened for
k.d. lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...
at Calgary's
Fairmont Palliser Hotel
The Fairmont Palliser, formerly known as the Palliser Hotel, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain. The historic hotel (1914) is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta at 133 9th Avenue SW adjacent to the Calgary Tower ...
. Their concert, which included an appearance Cowsill's protege
Colin James
Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter.
Biography Early years
James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...
, was recorded and, in 2004, Cowsill released that album as ''Billy Cowsill – Live From The Crystal Ballroom Calgary, AB July, 1985''.
[Biography of The Blue Shadows]
canadianbands.com. Retrieved 2015-02-08.[ Canadian Pop Encyclopedia]
Biography of The Blue Shadows
Retrieved 2015-03-02.
When Cowsill and Spanier eventually formed a final line-up, it was with Jeffrey Hatcher joining Cowsill as guitarist and principal songwriter, with Spanier on bass and J.B. "Jay" Johnson on drums. They began to record their first album, and Spanier left the band. He was replaced by Barry Muir, late of
Barney Bentall
Barnard Franklin "Barney" Bentall (born March 14, 1956) is a Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter who is most well known for his 1990s-era band, Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts. Their most successful Canadian singles included "Something ...
and
The Payolas
Payolas (stylized as Payola$) was a Canadian rock band that was most prominent in the 1980s.
Evolving from a new wave sound toward mainstream pop rock, they were best known for the single "Eyes of a Stranger", from their 1982 album '' No Stran ...
.
[ Hatcher had previously had his own band, Jeffrey Hatcher And The Big Beat. The new band's name, 'The Blue Shadows', was suggested by Hatcher's wife, based on the song "Blue Shadows On The Trail" by ]Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music perf ...
. The group was initially managed by Larry Wanagas and David Chesney, who also managed k.d. lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...
and owned Bumstead Records
Bumstead Records was a small record label in Edmonton, Alberta, founded by Larry Wanagas in 1979 and run primarily out of the Edmonton recording studio Homestead Recorders. Wanagas launched k.d. lang's career and continued for 15 years as her lab ...
, through which lang's early recordings were released.[
The group was signed to ]Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
and their first album, ''On The Floor of Heaven'', was certified gold in Canada. Cowsill said that he considered the title track to the album to be the best song he had ever written.[Transcript of Billy Cowsill radio interview]
with Tom Coxworth, CKUA
The CKUA Radio Network is a Canadian donor-funded community radio network based in Edmonton, Alberta. Originally located on the campus of the University of Alberta in Edmonton (hence the UA of the call letters), it was the first public broadcaste ...
, December 12, 2005; The Cowsills Forums. Retrieved 2015-03-16. They generated the interest of U.S. record executives, but did not receive a U.S. record distribution contract.[Paul Cantin]
Hatcher's Songs of Healing"
No Depression 77: Instruments of Change. Bookazine, p.122. Retrieved 2015-03-05. The group also received a 1994 Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
award nomination as Best Country Group or Duo; The Rankin Family
The Rankin Family (originally known as The Rankins) are a Canadian musical family group from Mabou, Nova Scotia. The group has won many Canadian music awards, including 15 East Coast Music Awards, six Juno Awards, four Society of Composers, Author ...
won. The band's second album, ''Lucky to Me'' was released in 1995 and was followed by regular touring by the band for the year thereafter. Both Blue Shadows albums were co-produced by Cowsill and Hatcher.
Having not obtained international record distribution by the end of 1996, The Blue Shadows broke up, amidst "creative differences" which were, as Cowsill acknowledged, precipitated by his addictions to drugs and alcohol,[ which impaired his ability to contribute to songwriting meetings, band rehearsals and, ultimately, performances.][ The actual end of the band occurred during a layover in ]Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, when Cowsill crashed their van into a laundromat. They fulfilled their performance obligations, then brokeup. Cowsill continued for a brief period with another band, using The Blue Shadows name.
Reissues
There has been increased interest in the band's music, particularly following the re-release, in 2010, of ''On The Floor of Heaven''.[Kerry Doyle]
The Blue Shadows Revisit On the Floor of Heaven
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
, June 16, 2010. Retrieved 2015-02-16. The album was re-released on Bumstead Records, owned by the band's original manager, Larry Wanagas. The re-release included a second CD of outtake
An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DV ...
s during the band's career, including cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
's " Raised on Robbery", Michel Pagliaro's "What The Hell I Got" and Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
's "If We Make It Through December
"If We Make It Through December" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers (American band), the Strangers. It was released in October 1973 as the lead single from the album ''Merle Haggard's Ch ...
".[ The re-release was also the first occasion when the band's music was also released in the United States. One of Cowsill's final wishes, prior to his 2006 death, was that ''On The Floor of Heaven'' would be re-released and be appreciated by a wider audience.][Adrian Mack]
The best record ever made in Vanoouver?
''The Tyee
The Tyee is an independent online daily news source primarily based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was founded in November 2003 as an alternative to "corporate media". Articles in The Tyee focus on politics, culture, and life.
The Tyee was f ...
'', July 17, 2010. Retrieved 2015-03-15.
During the 1990s, The Blue Shadows made a professional live recording for CBC, which was played on the radio and televised as part of a strategy to promote their studio releases. This live recording is highly regarded by fans who heard the radio broadcast or watched the television special. The performance was later showcased on the archive portion of the CBC website, to coincide with the Deluxe Edition reissue of "On The Floor Of Heaven" in 2010. One reissue record label expressed interest in releasing this concert on CD as a bonus disc packaged with a reissue of the studio album "Lucky To Me," although the project was scrapped when the label unexpectedly closed its operations.
Currently, both studio albums, including "Lucky To Me" and the 2010 Deluxe Edition reissue for "On The Floor Of Heaven," have become out of print and are considered to be collector's items.
Discography
Albums
*''On The Floor Of Heaven'' (1993), Columbia Records (re-issued 2010, Bumstead Records)
*''Rockin (1994, compilation), Columbia Records, Sony Music
*''Lucky To Me'' (1995), Columbia Records
Singles
*"Coming On Strong" / "Hell Stays Open All Night Long" (1993), Columbia Records
*"Deliver Me" / "The Fool Is The Last One To Know" (1994), Columbia Records
*"(Born to Be) Riding Only Down" (1995), Columbia Records
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Shadows
Canadian country music groups
Musical groups established in 1993
Musical groups disestablished in 1996